Maisara's pov

Felix has taken advantage of my situation. There has been no need for him to carry me all the way down. They have wheelchairs for emergencies. How do I know that? Well, for that, I have to thank Ian who has blurted it out when he has seen us like that. I can't describe in words the amount of mortification I have felt at that moment.

The whole journey (That is if we can call a walk from the third floor to the ground floor a journey, minus the multiple turns we had to take) has been quiet except for a few words Felix has sprouted here and there, and the retorts I have offered. Vicky and James have been silent the whole time. I have looked in their direction one time to find both of them walking at least ten feet away from each other, at the same pace, and both trying their hardest to not look in each other's direction. The tension between them is quite obvious.

The place where we are is not that hard to find out. It has an easier route. That describes how Vicky has found me so quickly.

I have already been aware of the grand entrance we are about to make. But I don't expect it to be this monumental.

The door through which we walk out into the courtyard isn't the same door I have walked through with Ian when I have gone to meet Lydia. The manor is somewhat L-shaped which I have noticed a bit too late. We have walked in through the front door of the right-sided structure which is situated behind the altar. It's not like right behind the arch but a couple of feet away and is angled a bit to the left. The guest's attention doesn't easily shift there even if they are not watching the alter because there is a giant foyer right behind it. The ceremony hasn't started yet when I have been called to meet her so I highly doubt anyone has been paying attention to that particular door.

And the door through which we have walked out is angled near the entrance of the aisle. So when you are coming out of there, you don't really have a choice but to walk through the aisle to enter the venue. I don't know if Felix has again played a trick here but at least, I don't see any other way.

So, we do just that. Felix has stepped down from the door and walked down the aisle carrying me in his arms. As I have expected, all the guests are gawking at us. They have been chattering as they should do in a ceremony like this. I have heard the noise before we have walked out. As soon as their eyes find us, they progressively become silent. Now the silence is too deafening. Horrifying, even. When nearly two hundred people are staring at you without even taking a breath, it's definitely unnerving.

We have reached there when Lydia is getting ready to throw her bouquet. I'm glad that it isn't during the vows exchange. I remember noticing the slight change they made to the series of events for their wedding when I got the invitation. Among some other changes, throwing the bouquet after sharing the kiss is one.

I am so focused on ignoring Felix and keeping my head high that I don't notice where we are going until Felix walks up too close to the altar. Lydia's bouquet, missing all the single girls gathered behind her to get the bouquet, lands perfectly on my lap.

Felix freezes abruptly. Heartbeats and time pauses. My eyes are glued to the pink and white bouquet. Trust me when I say this, I have never been this horrified in my entire life seeing flowers. I don't need to see Felix to know that he already has a huge grin on his face. I, however, look at him briefly just to let him see the alarmed look on my face.

And when his eyes meet mine, God, I feel like crying. He is, indeed, grinning, the corners of his mouth so close to his ears and his eyes twinkling brightly. The newfound hope and happiness in them are as clear as daylight. I realize I have forgotten how beautiful he looks when he has his real smile on.

Everyone knows what it means when you get the bouquet thrown by the bride. I may not believe it but I also know that. There are a few more seconds of silence before the crowd erupts in cheers and applause. People are congratulating us. But the sound is so distant. Like that's coming from the TV and the volume is turned low. Heck, I'm feeling like I'm watching myself in this scene on a TV.

"Seems like you will get stuck with me for the rest of your life," Felix whispers the words to me but it feels like he has announced it in a microphone to the whole neighborhood, if not to the whole state, or the country, or the world. The way he is looking down at me, with an undeniable certainty, makes me want to believe him. Only Allah knows how much I want to believe Felix right now.

I realize that my vision is turning blurry. There is a lump in my throat that is getting heavier with each passing second. I know Felix is seeing me like this, with tears welling up in my eyes. And I do not care. I have got no reply for him. Instead, I keep silently praying in my mind.

"Allah, please. Make his words come true. It's impossible for me at this point but you have the power to do that. Please, Allah. I don't want anything else. Please. Make him mine."

"Don't cry." Felix has a softer, sympathetic look in his eyes. He leans his face to the side and rubs his cheek on my arm that's wrapped around his neck. The rough scratching of his stubble against my skin feels awfully soothing. He closes his eyes as if he is feeling it too. "I can't wipe your tears right now."

"I am not crying," I grumble out, voice rough over the emotions welling up inside me. He chuckles, the sound vibrating deep in his chest against my right side.

"As you say, darling," comes his annoying reply to which I scoff tilting my head away from him.

As I look away from him, I find Ian approaching us, his usual grin on his face. I feel a sudden mortification, the reality of the position I am in hits me. It's one thing knowing that everyone sees me like that. And it's a different thing seeing that a specific someone whom I know is seeing me in this situation. Out of all people, that someone is Ian who already has a wicked glint in his eyes and who will surely say something dumb and equally embarrassing.

When he reaches us, he gives Felix a hard slap on the back before speaking, "That was quite a show. I'm so proud of you."

Felix doesn't return his enthusiastic energy. He looks borderline annoyed when he says, "Maisara is injured. She needs a comfortable place and medical help. I believe Dr Smith is here. Inform her."

To be honest, my situation is not as bad as he is making it sound. Or at least that doesn't feel like yet. I have almost forgotten about it all this time in the course of other events and the anticipation of what will happen next. Now that he has mentioned it, I feel a strange numbness there. And I have a feeling it's getting worse.

The teasing look in Ian's eyes instantly turns into a horrified one when his eyes meet mine. "What the fuck? What happened? Are you-"

"It's nothing, just broke my ankle." I try to act nonchalant. Ian doesn't look convinced. He opens his mouth and Felix beats him to that. "Just inform her. I'm taking her to somewhere else."

I don't know what he has meant by a 'comfortable place' but I have insisted on staying at the venue. So, now I'm sitting on a corner table where I don't exactly have a chance to get an attack from behind (I know I'm being paranoid again and I have my reasons for that). I'm sitting on one chair with my legs on two other chairs. I don't need two extra chairs other than the one I have my butt on but Felix has insisted and Ian has complied. They have somehow even found a cushion somewhere and now my injured ankle is on a cushion. It feels good, not gonna lie.

Dr. Smith has checked me at one point. She is a humble lady in her sixties and a family friend of Felix's. She has given me one good and one bad news. The good news is Felix did a good job tying the ice bag to my ankle the whole time. The bad news is this might be more than just a sprained ankle and she is suggesting to get an x-ray or emergency treatment as soon as I can.

She has even suggested me to leave early. And I don't tell her why I can't do that.

After all of that, Vicky and I finally find ourselves alone. No one else is sitting at our table. The reason for that is, I assume, the table is at an inconvenient place. The distance from the banquet table to this table is the longest. But the giant screen on the other side is clearly visible from here. I only need that, so I'm not really having any other problems. Vicky has brought me food when she has gone to get hers. That problem is also solved.

Now, she is watching me with a serious expression, all the other expressions from earlier are gone. I glance at her once before turning my eyes to the front. I know that she wants answers from me. And I'm suddenly finding it exhausting describing all of it to her.

"Say it," I speak in a tone that only Vicky can hear. Then I realize how stupid that sounds. Of course, she is not as idiot as to miss the chance.

"Say what?" The annoyance is pretty clear in her voice. I look back at her. Indeed, her eyebrows are furrowed and her nose is scrunched a little. On top of that, she is glaring at me. "You are the one who will say and I will listen. Now start."

She leans forward, ready to listen. I look away again.

My eyes find Felix a few tables ahead of us, on the other side, not so far away. His eyes are fixed on me as he is sipping his drink. When we lock eyes, he moves the glass away from his mouth and smiles at me. Stupidly, I feel my cheeks heating up. Curtly nodding at him, I look away.

He has kept his promise. After reaching here and making sure I'm taken care of, he has distanced himself. However, he makes sure that he is in a position where he can easily check on me himself now and then.

"Did you do it?" I ask Vicky instead of giving her an answer. The action is more important than the explanation.

She takes her time before answering. "I had no other choice."

I give her a questioning look. She shrugs. "Before starting, I have told you that I am going to do whatever you ask me to do. If you asked me to kill someone, I would do that without blinking an eye. You asked me to find anything to destroy him. I did that. Now you asked me to stop it. I did that. Removed all the files and everything. You understand that means your doom, right?"

I know that. That's the first thing that came into my mind when Lydia said that she was pregnant. The circumstance has come down to such a state that Ryker has backed me up against a stone wall and I cannot come back without hitting him back. It's now a do-or-die situation. Either one of us is going to come out of it. Me or Ryker. It's now a binary choice.

I wouldn't even know that if not for Vicky. Surely, I know Ryker enough to know that he will come for me after what I did to him for Felix. But I never thought to check up on him. I was only looking for proof to expose Oliver. It just randomly clicked in my mind at that moment that maybe Ryker was involved. I don't know how that thought came. But it did. And voila! Everything is loud and clear.

"The bride is pregnant," I say slowly, watching the bride and groom at their table, chatting and laughing like every other normal newlywed should be. Such a normal scene it appears if you don't know the twisted secret behind the scene.

"Damn," Vicky curses under her breath, then takes a moment to clear her throat. "Ah, well, that's fucked up."

"Totally," I agree taking a sip of my own drink.

"So that's the reason you ended it?" Vicky asks after a moment, but her question sounds almost like "That's the only reason you ended it?"

I let out a long sigh. "I owe her that much."

Before Vicky can say anything more, a series of clink sounds grab our attention. We both turn our heads at the same time to find that Ryker is knocking a fork on his glass to grab everyone's attention. I brace myself. The show is about to begin. The show of my doom and his triumph.

His eyes skip over the guests once. Twice. Maybe I'm wrong but I think they stay on me for a moment too long before skipping again. The small, content smile is plastered on his face.

Once the guests quiet down and focus their attention on him, he begins, "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. If I could have your attention for just a moment..."

He pauses here to create a dramatic effect, eyes swiping over the crowd again. Beside him, Lydia is sitting like a porcelain doll, both her back and eyes straight. Ryker continues, "First of all, I would like to thank you for being here tonight. It means the world to my dear bride, Lydia, and me to have our closest friends and family with us as we celebrate this special day."

My attention is momentarily snatched by Vicky who has moved closer and is whispering, "Bride? Who the hell calls his wife 'bride'?"

Ryker's monotonous voice continues floating through the air. "Tonight is about celebrating love, trust, and the incredible journey that Lydia and I are beginning together. But it’s also about acknowledging the support, the friendships, and the family bonds that have brought us to this moment."

He pauses again. This time, his eyes really focus on me, and the sly smile is unmistakeable. I feel something cold running through my veins. Gritting my teeth, I do my best to keep my face neutral.

Keeping his eyes on me, he continues, "Instead of telling you all about that journey, I've prepared something a little different, something that I think will speak for itself. So, without further ado, I invite you all to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

He gestures to the blank screen and the screen comes to life. Holding my breath, I prepare to watch the exposure of myself that's going to ruin me for my life.